Daisy Buchanan: An interview with Guardian columnist and author

Witty author and Guardian columnist Daisy Buchanan’s new book ‘How to Be A Grown-Up’ comes out this April.

The perfect pick-me-up for anyone muddling through their twenties, the books is packed with humour and candour. In an exclusive interview, the ONE reached out to Daisy to hear what she has to say about her new book and the feminist movement.

It’s a (hopefully!) fun, funny and extremely honest book about everything I messed up, struggled with and learned during my twenties, and it’s there to provide a big dollop of self confidence for anyone who feels like some parts of life are a bit of a struggle – you got this!

–What does feminism mean to you?

Very simply, gender equality – for women and men to enjoy all of the same human rights and opportunities.

#iamafeminist because I believe in women’s rights to do ANYTHING, EVERYTHING – or NOTHING – and to feel safe enough to do it all out loud.

Mary Beard often says people ask her which historical era she’d like to live in, and she says (I paraphrase) “Are you crazy? I’m a woman, I wouldn’t want to be alive at any time but now!” Feminism is still needed and still necessary, but we’ve definitely benefitted from the movement in the last hundred years.

–Can men identify as ‘feminists’ or should they identify as ‘allies’ because they haven’t had the same first-hand experience that women have in the fight for gender equality?

I don’t know. I think any man who wants to identify as a feminist should be celebrated – hooray, they’re on our side! They’re not afraid to use the label, and that’s ACE! But I am aware of men co-opting feminism and not being feminist – not listening to women, or insisting they know all about feminism and using their ‘knowledge’ to speak over women. If a man wanted to be feminist in principle but call himself an ally I’ll be fine with that.

– Do you think that men identifying as ‘allies’ excludes them from a movement that’s meant to take into account men’s issues as well as women’s issues?

The patriarchy hurts everyone, men and women, but I think that if men want to call themselves allies while fighting the feminist fight, it’s good for the movement and for everyone. It doesn’t matter what they call themselves.

–Do you think that modern-day feminism is inclusive of all the different gender inequality issues that women experience all over the world?

No – I think that we all need to try harder and do better. Intersectionality needs to be at the centre of the conversation at the moment, and it isn’t. There’s a big problem with privilege. I am ENORMOUSLY privileged. I know that there are lots of voices like mine, and ours get heard. I think that we have a responsibility to be honest about that privilege, and step back, shut up and listen to the voices that don’t get the attention that they should receive. Then we must promote them using the platforms we have.

Feminism has become a fashion statement, and in a way I think this is wonderful because it encourages people to find out more about it and embrace what it stands for. However, it can feel incredibly superficial, and I don’t think it prompts people to action. Wearing a feminist t shirt means nothing if you’re not going to follow through with feminist acts.

Be sure to look out for Daisy’s book, which will hit the shop floors in April. On behalf of everyone at the ONE we would like to extend our sincerest thanks to Daisy for her cooperation and words, we wish her the utmost success with her book launch.

Sport

Tweet Evgeni Vakov and Zuzanna Marciniak bring you all the action from day eight of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Great Britain’s Lizzy Yarnolds became the first ever women to defend her Olympic skeleton title after edging out German Jacqueline Loelling by 0.45 seconds. Bronze went to another Britt Laura Deas who was just 0.17 seconds out of the silver medal. Yarnolds was second before the fourth runs 0.02 behind Austria’s Janine Flock but a new track record in the final run allowed her to retain her gold medal….

Tweet Evgeni Vakov and Zuzanna Marciniak bring you all the action from day seven of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Dom Parsons won Britain’s first medal of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games taking bronze in the men’s skeleton. If you have just woken up 🌅 we’re pleased to say that @domparsons has secured Team GB’s first medal with 🥉 in the skeleton! Make sure you check out the highlights on @BBCSport or @Eurosport_UK #WeAreTheGreat 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/FTeXFHnACB — Team GB (@TeamGB) February 16, 2018 The race however was all…

Tweet Evgeni Vakov and Zuzanna Marciniak bring you all the action from day six of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Norway finally won their first men’s downhill gold medal thanks to 35-years-old veteran Aksel Lund Svindal, who also is now the oldest Olympic alpine gold medallist Svindal edged compatriot Kjetil Jansrud by 0.12 seconds while current world champion Beat Feuz from Switzerland finished a further 0.06 behind. Sochi winner Matthias Mayer from Austria did not manage to repeat his performance from four years ago and finished in ninth place….

Culture

Tweet It’s that time of year again where people have made their New Year’s resolutions and are now waiting for all the best festival line-ups to be announced; we have some great news… Spring Break Amsterdam Festival have released their incredible 2018 line-up for the three-day metro-festival. The acts revealed include Chase & Status (DJ set), Shy FX, Wiley, General Levy, Big Narstie and High Contrast, plus many more. The festival takes place on Sunday 8th, Monday 9th and Tuesday 10th April and tickets are already selling extremely fast. The…

Tweet It’s almost Christmas and a spontaneous trip lends you 24 hours to explore Munich, the capital of Bavaria, so what does one do? If you are anything like me, you get on the old interweb and do a spot of investigating as you pass the journey to Gatwick at ridiculous o’clock in the morning. Recent news stories have lowered Tripadvisor in your estimation, so you delve a little further. Travel and food writers are my ubiquitous go-to. I want to see the sights and get a flavour of München in…

Tweet Many vegans and activists for the cause have been likened to that of extremist cults, but this is not the case at all. As a student recently starting my course and living in Eastbourne, I was astounded by how alien the lifestyle of residents here appears to that of Brighton. Neighbour to one of the most vegan friendly recognised cities in the UK, Eastbourne seems to have so little acknowledgement for the dietary movement and the benefits it evokes. This lack of awareness stirred up confusion in my mind and…

Following the recent release of their album, Our Pleasure, the no-frills-attached notorious Canadian four-piece punk rock band Single Mothers hit the Green Door Store in Brighton on November 15 as part of their UK/Europe tour.